Pregame

The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods open MIAA play on Thursday night in Lee Arena as they host Southwest Baptist. The Ichabods (6-0, 0-0 MIAA) are coming off a 94-55 win over Bellevue while the Bearcats fell 88-68 to the defending national champions at Western Washington. After facing the Bearcats, the Ichabods will step out of MIAA play for two straight games on Dec. 15 when they will travel to Wichita to face Newman. The game with the Jets will be the Ichabods' final game until a Jan. 3 home date with Emporia State which will also be a non-conference game. The Feb. 28 match up in Emporia will count as the MIAA game for the Ichabods.

'Bod quick notes

• The Ichabods are ranked No. 2 in the NABC top 25 coaches poll and the coaches pick to win the MIAA this season. 

• The Bearcats will be without head coach Jeff Guiot, who was suspended the first two MIAA games of the season. (Release from SBU) Coaching will be assistant coach Tina Guiot.

• Washburn is looking for its first 7-0 start since the 2003-04 season when they Ichabods started 16-0 going on to a 27-5 record en route to the MIAA regular season championship.

• The Ichabods are 12-10 in MIAA openers while going 2-0 against the Bearcats in conference openers.

Ichabods on radio

Washburn games will be broadcast on 106.9 FM KTPK with Mark Elliott and Jake Lebahn. The game will also be streamed live on the wusports.com website by following the listen live links on the men's basketball schedule page.

The coaches

Washburn Ichabod head basketball coach Bob Chipman 

• He is in his 34th season at the helm of the Ichabods.

• Ichabod head coach Bob Chipman is a 1973 graduate of Kansas State earning both his undergraduate and master's degree in Manhattan.

• He is 727-296 overall.

• He has 486 wins since the Ichabods joined the MIAA, the most of any conference school since the 1989-90 season.

• Has led the Ichabods to 12 MIAA regular season titles and a MIAA-coaching tops of five postseason tournament championships.

• He has led the Ichabods to 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances.

• In home games, he is 420-77 going 366-66 in Lee Arena.

• He is second in all-time coaching victories in active NCAA Division II coaches.

• His 727 coaching wins is 25th in all-time NCAA coaches at all levels.

• He led the Ichabods to the 1987 NAIA National Championship and a 2001 NCAA National game, which was later vacated by Kentucky Wesleyan. 

• Chipman played for legendary coach Jack Hartman earning two letters.

• He is 28-12 against Southwest Baptist.

Southwest Baptist head coach Jeff Guiot. . .

• is in his ninth season on the Bearcat bench

• he has won three MIAA regular season titles, and compiled a 159-88 (.656) record at SBU. 

• he is 377-181 overall in his 19th season as a head coach. 

Last time out for the Ichabods • #2 Washburn 94, Bellevue 55 • 12/1/12

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods shot 60 percent in the second half from the field turning an 11-point halftime lead into a 39-point win on Saturday over Bellevue in Lee Arena winning 94-55. 

The Ichabods trailed in the game at 4-0 and 4-2 to the Bruins building a lead of eight points at 25-17 with 9:38 to play. Bellevue struggled from the field in the first half connecting on 7 of 24 attempts while going the final 8:38 of the frame without a field goal. With Washburn holding a 25-21 lead with 5:35 to play in the half, a lay up by Bobby Chipman and a three-point play by Will McNeill started a 12-5 run for the Ichabods over the final 4:46 of the half as the Ichabods took a 37-26 lead into the break.

Washburn was 15 of 35 in the first half and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line while the Bruins, the No. 17-ranked team in NAIA Division II, was 11 of 15 to keep the game close.

In the second half, the Ichabods used a 16-2 over the first 4:40 of the second half to put the game out of reach building a 53-28 lead stretching the margin to as many as 42 in the second half taking the 94-55 win.

McNeill led the Ichabods with 34 points going 15 of 25 from the field scoring 20 points in the second half. The 34 points were one of a career-high of 35 scored against Central Missouri last season. Martin Mitchell finished with 14 points hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Bobby Chipman finished with a career-high 16 rebounds with 13 on the defensive end with four assists and three blcoks scoring nine points. Mitchell also had a game-high seven assists. 

Washburn shot was 21 of 35 from the field in the second half finishing at 51 percent for the game hitting 36 of 70 from the field. Washburn also held a 45 to 33 advantage on the glass.  

Series history with Southwest Baptist

• Thursday's meeting will be the 48th between Washburn and Southwest Baptist. 

• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 31-16. 

• Washburn has won 20 of the last 27 games. 

• Washburn is 26-11 against SBU in MIAA games. 

• The series is the least-played matchup for Washburn against other MIAA teams with 47 games played. 

• The Ichabods have won the last six games played in Topeka and have gone 3-1 against the Bearcats in the MIAA Tournament. 

• In Bolivar, the Ichabods are 10-12. 

• The two team have not met in the MIAA tournament since Feb. 25, 1995 when the Ichabods won 91-80 in a first round game played in Topeka.

About Southwest Baptist

• The Bearcats are 2-5 this season and dropped their first three games of the season.

• They are coming off an 88-68 at Western Washington, the defending national champions.

• SBU is led by Preston Guiot, the son of head coach Jeff and assistant coach Tina, averaging 11.4 ppg.

• Jaywuan Hill is averaging 10.0 ppg and a team-high 4.7 rebounds per game.

• The Bearcats are scoring 64.9 ppg and allowing 75.1 ppg while being out rebounded 31.7 to 30.0 per game.

• SBU is 53 of 141 from 3-point range (38 percent) and 172 of 382 overall from the field (45 percent).

Last time out for Southwest Baptist

Nov. 24 -- Bellingham, Wash. - The Southwest Baptist University men's basketball team played the defending national champion No. 6 Western Washington close, but the Vikings pulled away in the second half to take a 68-88 victory.

The Bearcats once again came out strong to start the game, scoring the games first seven points, while leading the #6 Vikings for the first eight and a half minutes of the game. SBU and WWU played a back-and-forth game for the remainder of the first half, with Western Washington taking a 42-34 lead going into halftime. The Vikings continued to extend their lead in the second half, responding well to any Bearcat run, and eventually claimed the 88-68 victory.

Damion Hooks played an excellent game for the Bearcats, scoring a career high 24 points on 10-12 shooting from the field. Preston Guiot had 14 points and a team high 6 assists, while Rashaad Brown-Peterson had 9 points and 3 assists.

As a team SBU shot 48.2% from the field, 31.3% from beyond the arc, and 64.3% from the free throw line. The Bearcats forced 14 Viking turnovers, but were out-rebounded 22-32 by WWU.

Preston Guiot and Damion Hooks were both named to the All-Tournament team which was released shortly after the conclusion of the final game of the WWU Classic Tournament on Saturday. Guiot led the Bearcats in scoring during the tournament, averaging 19.0 ppg and 4.5 apg, while Hooks averaged 15.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg.

Last meeting with Southwest Baptist

(Feb. 11, 2012) TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods held on for a two-point win over Southwest Baptist as a Bearcat 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out as the Ichabods won their season-best fifth-straight game in a 67-65. 

The Ichabods led by eight at 66-58 with 2:41 remaining in the game after a pair of free throws by Will McNeill, but on SBU's next possession, McNeill was whistled for his fifth foul with 2:07 to play and went to the bench. Robson Memnon hit a jumper with 1:51 left to cut the lead to six. The Ichabods came up empty on their next possession and SBU's Ricky Odige hit a lay up with 55 seconds left cutting the lead to four. After an Ichabod turnover, Kyle Sloan hit a 3-pointer from the win cutting the Ichabod lead to one at 66-65 with 43 seconds remaining.

Southwest Baptist (16-10, 9-8 MIAA) fouled Martin Mitchell and he hit the second of two free throws pushing the Washburn lead back to two at 67-65 with 41 seconds to play. SBU missed a lay up on its next possession, but Washburn committed a turnover with 10 seconds left. Odige's 3-pointer from the wing hit the back of the iron and the buzzer sounded with Washburn hanging on for the two-point win.

Washburn went the final 3:13 of the game without a field goal, but were three of four from the free throw line the remaining of the game.

The Ichabods trailed 35-34 at the half after SBU shot 55 percent in the first half hitting 12 of 22 shots from the floor while going 5 of 13 from 3-point range. Washburn was 13 of 27 from the field in the first haf for a 48 percent clip. There were 13 lead changes in the first 20 minutes as neither team led by more than five. The Ichabods led by nine in the second half at 59-50 with 8:45 to play in the game after a jumper by Alex North.

McNeill led the Ichabods with 17 points with 11 coming in the second half before fouling out. He was 9 of 10 from the free throw line and collected five assists with three steals. McNeill broke the junior class records for steals in a season with 63 breaking the previous record of 61 set during the 1985-86 season. For his career McNeill has recorded 152 which is five shy of breaking Jordan Canfield's career record of 156 set from 1992 to 1997.

Mitchell finished with 15 and Jeff Reid scored 13 while North pulled down a game-high six rebounds. The Ichabods outrebounded SBU 30 to 26 collecting 12 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second chance points. Washburn also forced 19 SBU turnovers accounting for 22 points off turnovers.

Memnon led four SBU players in double figures with 18 points. Ryan Dougherty scored 14 before fouling out.

Bod bits

• Will McNeill was named a preseason All-American by the Basketball Times. He is the first Ichabod to receive preseason All-American honors since Travis Robbins prior to the 2004-05 season.

• Will McNeill has been named the MIAA Player of the Week twice on Nov. 26 and on Dec. 3. 

• The Ichabods are +25.5 in scoring margin this season.

• The three freshman on the Ichabod roster (Khai Hutchinson, Evan Robinson and Colton Anderson) are all redshirting this season.

• The 16 rebounds for Bobby Chipman against Bellevue was a career high.

• Will McNeill set career highs in field goals made (15) and field goal attempts (25) against Bellevue.

• The 15 field goals made by McNeill were the most since Travis Robbins had 17 against Central Oklahoma on Nov. 20, 2004 en route to 40 points.

• The 16 rebounds by Bobby Chipman were the most by an Ichabod since Frank Phifer had 18 against Cameron on Dec. 16, 2006 and Travis Robbins' 17 on Nov. 30, 2004 against Mid America Nazarene and Kyle Snyder's 17 at Eastern New Mexico on Nov. 18, 2006. 

• Joseph Smith had a career-high four assists against Bellevue also hitting his first career 3-pointer on two attempts.

• Christian Ulsaker also had career highs of four assists and four made field goals against Bellevue.

• Alex North is still out from the concussion suffered against Bethany and will be until further notice.

Bod tweets . . . 140-character or less notes on the Ichabods

• The Ichabods led for 39:43 of the game against Rockhurst, 39:49 of the game against Bethany, 39:40 of the game against Peru State, 33:29 against St. Mary's, 38:25 against Minnesota Duluth and 37:57 against Bellevue in their six games this season. #Domination

• That translates to 95.3 percent of the season #MathFact

• Will McNeill is ninth on all-time scoring chart with 1,286 points in 96 games #Buckets

• Next on the chart is Greg Wilson (1,323 - 1985-89) in eighth on the all-time chart #SelectCompany

• Bobby Chipman's 190 3-point attempts is 23rd in school history #FromWayDowntown

• Bobby Chipman's 64 career blocks is seventh all-time at Washburn and can move into the top five with three more #RejectionCity

• Will McNeill's 348 free throw made is fifth at Washburn #GetToTheLine

• Will McNeill's 444 free throw attempts is dixth at Washburn #LineTime

• Will McNeill's 184 career steals is first at Washburn #NoBodyInFrontOfHim

• The MIAA record for career steals is 383 by Eddin Santiago #FastHands

Ichabod Basketball HIstory

• Washburn is 1,437-969-2 all-time in 2,408 games played

• The 2012-13 season is Washburn's 107th of basketball.

• Washburn is the ninth-winningest program in NCAA Division II history.

• The Ichabods are 486-212 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks, which is the most wins by any program in the MIAA since the 1989-90 season.

• Washburn has won ten MIAA regular season championships and 21 conference championships in school history.

• The Ichabods previously won the MIAA regular season championship in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2012.

Ichabods in the national rankings

• The Washburn Ichabods remained in the No. 2 slot for the third-straight week and added a first-place vote in the NABC/Division II top 25 coaches poll.

• The Ichabods have been in the top 10 in the national rankings 47 times while being ranked in the top 25 a total of 89 times since joining the NCAA ranks.

• The Ichabods were one of four teams to receive a first-place vote joining Metro State, Alabama Huntsville and Bellarmine. West Liberty received 12 first-place votes to remain on top of the poll this week.

Home sweet home

• The Ichabods are 367-66 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.

• The 2012-13 season marks the 28th season of play in Lee Arena.

• The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.

?Up Next

After facing the Bearcats, the Ichabods will step out of MIAA play for two straight games on Dec. 15 when they will travel to Wichita to face Newman. The game with the Jets will be the Ichabods' final game until a Jan. 3 home date with Emporia State which will also be a non-conference game.